


the language of flowers

by 951004



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, happy birthday josh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 00:24:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13201746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/951004/pseuds/951004
Summary: one kiss and you begin to bloom





	the language of flowers

**Author's Note:**

> for hong jisoo - the happiest of birthdays to u, my prince. i hope ur spoiled with gifts, resting well, and full with all ur favourite foods. may today treat u well. the world is blessed to have had such a kind and beautiful man for 22 years. i love u to bits! <3
> 
> inspired by the heartstopper mini-comic flower shop
> 
> (it’s my first try writing prose so please be gentle!)

it’s mid-december, meaning winter’s officially in full swing, and snow has begun to pile up on the cheerful red-and-white striped awning of the quaint little flower shop nestled along yulgok street.

 

inside, there’s not a soul to be found, save the shop’s owner, jeonghan (napping in the backroom, no doubt), the lone employee, seokmin (seated behind the counter, miserably perfecting the art of pen-twirling), and the innumerable shelves of flora that make up his paycheck. temperatures have long since plummeted into the negatives, along with seokmin’s hopes of attracting even a single customer in this insufferable weather.

 

seokmin manoeuvres the pen between his fingers one last time before tossing it onto the countertop. it lands with a plink of finality, and it’s mere seconds later that the cheerful ringing of the shop’s brass bell jolts seokmin out of his fatigued daze.

 

a slight, delicate-looking man walks in, his brown overcoat drenched in melted snow. his eyes dart around the shop frantically. seokmin squints curiously at the customer, and thinks he sees tears on the cusp of escaping from the man’s gleaming doe eyes. as if sensing seokmin’s attention on him, the boy buries his face in his hands. he doesn’t see seokmin vacating his seat, and is probably too busy sniffling to hear the employee’s gentle footsteps padding towards him on the parquet flooring.

 

“hey...” seokmin begins cautiously. “you okay?” the man (standing a good few inches shorter than him) flinches. _good one, seokmin,_ he murmurs silently, _probably scared the living daylights out of the poor guy._

 

the other boy looks up slowly before replying with a quiet “i’m f-fine”. he makes a shitty attempt of a reassuring smile, which just seems to upset himself further.

 

“okay, well,” seokmin sighs and scratches the back of his neck. “come sit in the back, and i’ll make you some tea.” he wraps an arm around the man’s trembling frame, decisively ignoring his indistinct protests as he steers them both into the greenhouse.

 

unfiltered winter sunlight fills the room, and the air holds the sweet scent of camellias and japanese maples. seokmin hands the boy – whom he now knows as jisoo – a steaming blend of ginger and tulsi, before straightening his tacky green apron and taking a seat. jisoo shoots seokmin a grateful look as he sips carefully at his drink. his chest rises and falls in a slow, calming rhythm, and it takes a while before he starts speaking.

 

“so... i’m, uh, supposed to be going to my ex-boyfriend’s wedding today, and-“ jisoo’s grip on his sunflower-print mug tightens. “and at the last minute this morning he called me like “oh i don’t think we have flowers for the cake table, can you pick some up on the way here” and i was feeling like shit but i was obviously like “sure no problem” but the snow is killing my car and i don’t even know if i can get there on time and now i’m crying about it to a total stranger-“

 

“ _jesus_ ,” seokmin breathes. “your ex sounds like a fucking asshole.”

 

jisoo stares at him, obviously startled, and seokmin takes one look at his tear-and-snot covered face before getting up with a hurried “i’ll be back”.

 

after much rustling around and muttered “where the hell”s, seokmin’s finally back beside jisoo. “for your ex’s wedding! they’re on the house,” he declares, gesturing towards the hastily-made bouquet clutched in his hand. “geraniums for ‘stupidity’, basil for ‘hatred’, and meadowsweet for ‘uselessness’.” seokmin presses the stalks into jisoo’s palms. “they essentially mean “fuck you”. what kind of dickhead asks their ex to get them flowers on their wedding day, anyway?” seokmin grins tentatively, and can’t help the wave of relief that washes over him when jisoo returns it.

 

and as he’s ushering jisoo out the door, he nearly misses the dusting of pink on the other’s cheekbones.

 

**_3 DAYS LATER..._ **

 

the shop’s holding its seasonal flower crown making class, but given the amount of snow blanketing the pavements, it’s a wonder that the meagre handful of signups even bothered to turn up. everyone’s seated comfortably around the round oak table set up in the greenhouse, conversational chatter filling up all the empty room.

 

“-and then he smiled and he had these eyes that _literally_ sparkled-“

 

“-and then he had to go but you failed to get his name, yes, tragic, you’ve told me five times.” jeonghan finishes in a deadpan. “listen, you’re probably never gonna see this guy again, so do me a favour and stop talking about him every two seconds, please and tha-“

 

his sentence is interrupted by the sprightly ‘ding’ of the bell. jeonghan hands his unfinished crown of daisies to his trusty employee, shaking the loose strands of his ponytail out of his vision as his eyes skim the attendance list. a crease soon appears between his eyebrows. “is there another signup you didn’t tell me about?” he glances over at seokmin, who’s too busy helping a little boy untangle his stalks of jasmine to reply. jeonghan does a quick headcount, and shakes his head again. “no, everyone’s here...” he mutters under his breath.

 

the head of a boy (covered in an adorable red pom-pom beanie) pokes through the door of the greenhouse that seokmin had previously left ajar. jeonghan takes one look at his disarming eyesmile and kicks seokmin in the shin. “is that your guy?” he whisper-shouts.

 

seokmin’s head jerks upward, and the boy waves shyly at him, eyes waning into twin crescents. seokmin waves back, returning jeonghan’s kick twice as hard before standing up. “have fun!” jeonghan singsongs, seemingly indifferent to the throbbing bruise forming on his calf.

 

“it’s you!” seokmin says by way of greeting. jisoo giggles, and there it is again – seokmin’s pretty sure there are actual diamonds embedded in his irises.

 

“this is cute,” jisoo says, pointing at the crown of holly resting on the crown of seokmin’s head. seokmin ducks his head, failing to contain the blush that spreads up his neck to the tips of his ears.

 

“thanks, i, uh, made it” he laughs, and proceeds to mentally slap himself for being so awkward. _what’s wrong with you, lee seokmin? pull it together._ “wait- i have the perfect one for you!”

 

he darts to the table and fishes out his unfinished daisy crown from amidst the scattered scraps of ribbon, twine and flower stalks. he ties the ends together in a secure knot and – after gently removing his beanie – places the crown on jisoo’s head, and oh my fucking _god, i was right, his hair really is as soft as i imagined._

 

jisoo chuckles and hesitantly reaches up to brush his bangs out of his eyes. “doesn’t it look silly?” he asks.

 

“no! it’s adorable!” seokmin reassures him, gushing internally at how much he looks like a _goddamn fairy prince, because is it even legal for someone to be this cute?_

 

“um... so...” jisoo’s begins rummaging through the left pocket of his parka. he produces the littlest pink flower pot containing a single stem of red hydrangea, clasping it tightly in both hands. “i bought this for you to, you know, say thank you for the other day.”

 

the grin that spreads on seokmin’s face could have outshined the sun and all the stars.

 

“here,” jisoo says gently as he hands seokmin the pot. their fingers brush for a fraction of a second, and seokmin feels his heart burst with adoration for the skinny, red-faced boy standing before him.

 

“i’ve got to go, but... make sure you read the label,” jisoo says. he rises up on his toes to press his chapped, rosy lips to seokmin’s cheek.

 

seokmin’s eyes widen involuntarily. in that moment, all the flowers entwined into the void cosmos between his ribs spring into full bloom.

 

 _1-558-9985_  
_wanna go for a drink?  
jisoo x_


End file.
